What Is Apostasy In The Bible? |
Mia Russell
Updated on March 01, 2026
Apostasy means falling away, defection or withdrawal. In the Christian faith, the word apostasy is the falling away from faith and trust in the Lord. The word is though not found in the English version Holy Bible.
Paul was wrongly accused of teaching the Jews apostasy from Moses(Acts 21:21). Paul also predicted the apostasy from Christianity narrated by Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:10-12).
Read Also: Who Are The Sons Of Thunder In The Bible?
What Is The Apostasy In The Bible?
According to Hebrews 3:12, apostasy is falling away from God’s word or your faith as a Christian. By so doing, you lose faith and trust in God.
Bible Verses About Apostasy
Hebrews 3:12 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”
Hebrews 6:4-8 “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.”
2 Peter 3:17 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”
1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,”
2 Peter 2:20-22 “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
Luke 8:13 “And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”
Galatians 1:8-9 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed”
What Can Cause Apostasy in the Church?
Persecution (Matthew 24:9,10); false teachings by religious leaders (Matthew 24:11); temptation (Luke 8:13); worldliness (2 Timothy 4:4); defective knowledge of Christ (1 John 2:19); moral lapse (Hebrews 6:4-6); forsaking worship and spiritual living (Hebrews 10:25-31); unbelief (Hebrews 3:12).
Causes of Apostasy In The Bible
Saul (1 Samuel 15:11); Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:14-27); many disciples (John 6:66); Hymeneus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19-20); Demas (2 Timothy 4:10).
Read Also: What Did The Bible Say About Concubines?
Meaning of Apostasy in The Bible
The Bible has given us a clear meaning of the word Apostasy and that’s what we are going to delve into.
- John 6:60-66 indicates a couple of disciples who left Jesus Christ after they couldn’t abide or digest some of his complex teachings.
- Galatians 1:6 also describes believers who are willingly leaving Jesus and his faith.
- 1 Timothy 4:1 tells us that many will fall away from faith in the end times, going after the teachings of demons.
- 2 Peter 3:17 also warned us to stay on guard against all false teachings that can eventually lead us astray from our faith and the Lord.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLTBmqqeZpOkunDDx5qrZqGjYq6xu9KtmKyxXZ67bsDHnmSboZKhsnA%3D